The present invention relates to a method and means for determining the ease with which a cow may give birth to a calf.
The ability to determine the ease with which a cow will give birth to a calf is very important for livestock producers during the calving season. If difficulties in a particular birth are anticipated, then special precautions can be taken to insure that both the cow and calf come through the calving alive and well. Obviously, the cost of production and efficiency of production can be greatly enhanced if the number of calves lost during the calving is minimized.
The difficulty with which a cow gives birth to a calf can be categorized according to the following four situations:
(1) Situations where the cow can give birth to a healthy calf on her own. PA1 (2) Situations where the cow may encounter some difficulty, but this difficulty can be overcome by pulling the calf by hand. PA1 (3) Situations where the cow will encounter difficulty during calving, but this difficulty can be overcome by the use of a mechanical calf puller. PA1 (4) Situations where a caesarean birth is required.
The difficulty with which a cow gives birth to a calf depends upon several factors. One of these factors is the size of the cow's pelvic area. Another factor is the weight of the particular calf. Various attempts have been made to determine a correlation between the weight of the calf and the size of the cow's pelvic area. An example of such an attempt is described in an article by Bill Miller entitled "He Uses Pelvic Scores" in the February 1981 issue of Successful Farming magazine. In this article, a method is described whereby the pelvic height and pelvic width of the cow are multiplied by one another and divided by a factor for the age of the cow to determine the calf birth weight which the cow should be able to deliver without assistance.
One problem encountered with the above method, however, is that there is difficulty in determining the weight of the calf prior to the time that it is born. Without knowing the weight of the calf about to be born, it is difficult to determine the ease with which the cow will give birth to the calf.
Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is the provision of an improved method and means for determining the ease with which a cow may give birth to a calf.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a method and means for determining the ease with which a cow may give birth to a calf, wherein the weight of the calf may be estimated shortly prior to the time that the calf is born.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a device which permits the easy calculation of a calving score for determining the ease with which a cow may give birth to a calf.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a method and means which can be used easily in the pasture or field where the cow is located.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a method and means which will improve the mortality rate of calves being born by making possible the determination of when a cow requires assistance in calving and by making a further determination of the particular type of assistance the cow may require.